“I’m originally from the UK and want to file an international patent application for my new invention in Turkey. However, I’m unaware of the patent cost in Turkey and how I can obtain a patent there.”

What is a Patent and What Does it Protect?

In general terms, a patent protects new inventions for a certain period. It provides the inventor the right to use or sell their invention in the commercial market, and it also gives the right to take legal actions against the person who infringes the inventor’s rights by using the invention without the permission of the actual owner. 

In Turkey, an invention qualifies for a patent if the following factors apply:

1. Novelty: The term “novelty” means an invention that is new to the world and is not mentioned in any document or registered worldwide. 
2. Inventive Step: Inventive Step means the invention should be non-obvious to the person who is an expert in that particular field. The invention should not be ordinary or evident if it is a known technology.
3. Industrial Application: The invention should be capable of Industrial application. For example, it is possible to manufacture and create a pen again. Then, it is capable of being industrially applicable. If the same pen cannot be manufactured multiple times, it cannot qualify as industrially applicable.

In Turkey, the patent offers protection for 20 years subject to examination. Patent protection can be registered in two ways: with or without examination. Without examination, patents are protected for seven years.

How Much Does a Patent Cost in Turkey versus Other Countries?

The official patent cost in Turkey are revised and released each year at the beginning of the year, and they take effect on January 1st. 

Recently, the Turkish patent and trademark office for patents and utility models established a new official patent fee, which was increased by 36%.

In Turkey, the current official fees for patent protection are as follows:

1. The official cost for protecting the European Patent applications is 1.930 TRY
2. Validation of European patents costs 3.095 TRY
3. PCT National entries costs 2.015 TRY
4. Patent applications costs 75 TRY
5. Utility model applications costs 75 TRY

Compared with the foreign currencies, the official fees released in 2022 Turkey is lower but significantly higher than the previous year, i.e., 2021. The prices have increased because Turkish currencies suffered a significant loss against foreign currencies last year due to high inflation. 

For more details regarding the Patent fees, you can go through the official website of the Turkish patent and trademark office. 

Can I Get a Patent for Free in Turkey?

No, the applicant cannot get patent protection for free in Turkey. A minimal amount of fees is required to obtain patent protection. 

However, the right holders are free to represent their inventions in front of the Turkish patent and trademark office without the help of attorneys. It will be cheaper than hiring a patent attorney to represent their application. 

Conclusion

In Turkey, a patent grant is impossible if the invention does not fulfill the abovementioned criteria. However, to determine if the invention achieves the same, a proper examination is conducted to ensure it is patentable. However, a fee is involved in every procedure, which differs in different countries. 

As compared to other countries, Turkey has a lower patenting cost. However, it is not specific as every year, the official fees get revised, and the new official prices get released at the beginning of the year. Currently, the patent cost in Turkey are still lower than others but higher than the previous year’s official fees. Therefore, we can conclude that a minimal fee is required to register for a patent, and patents are not available for free.